ASA Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook Airframe 1

chapter one aircraft structures a brief history of aircraft structures the history of aircraft structures underlies the history of aviation in general advances in materials and processes used to construct aircraft have led to their evolution from simple wood truss structures to the sleek aerodynamic flying machines of today combined with continuous power plant development the structures of flying machines have changed significantly the key discovery that lift could be created by passing air over the top of a curved surface set the development of fixed and rotary wing aircraft in motion george cayley developed an efficient cambered airfoil in the early 1800s as well as successful manned gliders later in that century he established the principles of flight including the existence of lift weight thrust and drag it was kaylee who first stacked wings and created a triwing glider that flew a